Timberwolf Trail - Week 23 - 2016-17 Edition - Retzer Visit #5

Wisconsin threw us another curve ball this week. Back in January, we visited the Retzer Nature Center with intentions of tracking and snowshoeing. However, the fifty degrees and clear trails had other plans. This week, with the Retzer naturalists visiting our school, we were supposed to be on a search for signs of spring. A foot of snow and 20 degree temperatures later, we decided to tweak plans. We ended up with the best of both worlds.

We started our spring discussion by hearing Ms. Janet read the story Mud, by Mary Lyn Ray. Then of course, we had to enjoy the mud. Mr. Larry brought in some magic mud he found by a natural spring. With it came a sure sign of spring: skunk cabbage. I think the class enjoyed the sight of it much more than the smell.

We then traveled back to the regular classroom to hear another springtime story, 999 Frogs Wake Up, by Ken Kimura. After talking about the life cycle of frogs, we were able to see some tadpoles. A large green frog tadpole and three African Clawed Frog tadpoles were enjoyed by all.

After our spring learning, we went outside to snowshoe for signs of spring. It might seem strange to look for signs of spring in a foot of freshly fallen snow, but we did it and we did it well.

Though getting 100 kindergartners in snowshoes can be a bit tricky, we managed. Once ready, we hot the trails and found coyote tracks instantly. The coyote has been a  frequent visitor to the trail camera lately so it was very cool to see his tracks. The kids were amazed that he followed the trail just like we do.

The kids enjoyed finding the snow crusts that had formed with the recent freeze and thaw cycle we are having.We heard lots of birds, saw a few buds from the trees and saw many tracks, including coyote, birds, fix, squirrel, deer, bunny, and of course, leprechaun.

After heading back in and thawing out ourselves, we resumed last week's owl pellet activity. Today, our goal was to take the bones we had unearthed last week and use them to piece together the prey of our owl friend, It worked very well with our science unit of the human body as we talked about how we might feel if we "coughed" up the food we couldn't digest. the kids also loved identifying the bones and figuring out how to make the skeleton.

Another great learning experience with our Retzer friends and a snowshoe spring day  in the books. Until next time. . .

Timberwolf Trail - Week 22 - 2016-17 Edition

Two Wednesdays. . .first Wednesday of paternity leave. 71 degrees and clear skies.

Last Wednesday. . .still on paternity leave. Cloudy, cold, and about 4 inches of snow.

Today. . .back from paternity leave. 40 degrees with 60 mile per hour wind gusts.

Welcome to Wisconsin folks!

Still, spring was in the air. Not wanting my students to be blown away, we spent a chunk of our morning thinking spring.After reading And Then It's Spring, by Julie Fogliano, we brainstormed things that reminded us of spring and created a SPRING foldable. From rain to baseball, planting to bike riding, and green grass to trampolines, all students had a plethora of ideas to choose from when creating their own foldable.

Then, we zoomed in on a sure sign of spring - birds, We reviewed our bird field guides and introduced a new classroom job, the bird buddies. This job is two-fold and shared between two students. First, the bird buddies must check our classroom bird feeders and see if seed or suet needs to be added.  Secondly, throughout the day, they are in charge of checking the feeders for any birds. If a bird is found, they can sue the field guides, provided bird magnets, or an adult to help them identify the bird and add it to our "Birds We've Observed" poster. We also shared the newest addition to our classroom - the Bird Photo Booth. I haven't set it up in our outdoor classroom yet, but we reviewed the website and are looking forward to meeting our bird visitors up close and personal. Feel free to check out https://birdphotobooth.com/ and see what it is all about.

As we have studied birds and been lucky to have a few bald eagle sightings, I have noticed their special interest in birds of prey. So, we took that interest and turned it into action. After reviewing a short video about owl pellets and then watching a real barred owl cough one up on a video, we dissected our own pellets. The excitement about finding bones was amazing. Not wanting to spend all our time inside, we postponed the "pellet put together" until next week, when we will work on piecing together the bones we found.

It was time to head outside and fill our feeders for the first time this year as a class. Hard to see in this picture, but we have eight feeders outside our classroom windows that dispense seed and suet.

During natural play, we tried to avoid being blown away. It was gusty and a bit chilly, but time outside is always well spent in nature kindergarten. Next week, our friends from the Retzer Nature Center will join us as we talk about nature "waking up."

Monches

About four years ago, my wife and I became familiar with the Ice Age Trail. On a trip to a friend's house, we saw a number of cars parked on the side of a road. Upon, further investigation, we came across the trailhead to the Monches Segment. it wasn't long before we checked it out for ourselves and instantly fell in love with it. Soon after, with the birth of our first daughter, it became a regular visit. With our newest tyke entering the world just two weeks ago, we decided it was time to introduce her to the trail.

Our eldest was more than happy to be the hike leader, a task she has taken over on our Tyke Hikes. We made many of our usual stops. From the tree cavity to searching for acorn hats and climbing fallen logs, we all enjoyed a windy and sun-soaked hike.

Embry also felt the need to help the trail and other hikers by clearing the path of the many sticks that had fallen during the latest round of overnight windstorms.

We even found a downed tree splitting a blaze in two. Embry made sure to bop both blazes simultaneously.

What was once our "diaper changing tree" was now our snack log, though it will probably be used for diapers again with our newest tyke hitting the trails.

Just off trail, we noticed a tree with a significant burl. Embry climbed it and became an official burl girl.

Of course, no hike is complete without some natural play time. I am very excited to have Embry share the natural play experience with her younger sister.

Timberwolf Trail - Trail Camera Captures- February 2017 Edition

February's wacky winter weather didn't scare away all of our animals. Many friends visited the trail camera this minth. Here are a few of those shots.

Female Cardinal

Cottontail

Coyote

Deer quartet

Double Deer

Double Squirrel

Runaway Squirrel

The trail camera captures images using three "shots" every time the camera is triggered. the following sequence was very fun to see, though I am not sure what I really am seeing. :)

Trigger 1 - Squirrel seeming comfortable

Trigger 2 - Squirrel spooked

Trigger 3 - Squirrel running with shadowy figure above it

More Squirrel :

Woodpecker blends in nicely

Tyke Hike #36 - Pike Lake

Unfortunately, I was unable to lead this Tyke Hike, but as the picture above shows, I had a wonderful reason to miss. Pretty soon, a new Tyke Hike co-leader will be hitting the trails.

A fellow volunteer and official Waukesha/Milwaukee County Chapter Secretary, Kevin, led the hike. By the way, he is also the unofficial chapter photographer, historian, organizational expert, and all around chapter liaison. Special thanks to him for providing the hike details and the photos.

After a week of record highs, Old Man Winter came back and brought chilly temperatures and blustery winds to Pike Lake. That didn't scare away fourteen hikers who came to trek to the tower.

The freshly fallen snow made for a picturesque winter scene. The trees also did a decent  job of protecting the hikers from the wind gusts.

The crew enjoyed a walk to the tower, though the wind and cold had most decide to avoid the climb. The group headed back from the tower ad enjoyed a new perspective of the trail. I am looking forward to resuming my Tyke Hike participation on Saturday, March 25th at Lapham Peak. Hopefully, I will see you there.